A Gift From the Father

This past Sunday was Father's Day. All over the country people were out in the stores buying last minute gifts and cards. I found myself out there with them. While I was in the store trying to squeeze my way through the card isle, it hit me, there are no cards or poems that could capture the essence of the type of father my husband is. I stand amazed each day as I watch him love and care for our children and the tender way he loves and cares for me.

I don't know how many women are able to identify with me. It is a gift from the Father above to have a man who loves you, but loves the Father more. Through his service to the Lord he has faithfully and unconditionally given himself to our family. It is a joy to love him and be loved by him.

Tony is truly a gift from the Father. I thank and praise the Lord,daily, for my husband. We've been married for almost thirteen years and they have been the best years of my life. May the Lord be praised.

Our Road Map

"Your word is a lamp unto my feet

and a light unto my path."

Psalm 119:105

Last week I had the privilege of serving as counselor at Cedine Bible Camp. Our theme for the week was "The Bible: Our Road Map". Each day during devotion time we talked of several men of faith who stood on the path of righteousness, men who stood for the Lord. For many of my campers the story of Elijah resonated in their hearts.

As young ladies they face many temptations at school and home. Daily they find it difficult to be the lone ranger, especially when it's so easy just to blend in with the crowd. However, we can praise the Lord for examples like Elijah. He was up against 450 prophets, but was not moved. From sun up to sun down the prophets of Baal cried out their god and received not a word. Elijah, knowing he served the ONE true God, received fire from on high.

Young or old, we must understand there will be times in our lives when we must stand alone. We must stand with the assurance that our eternal reward will be much greater than the applause of those who dwell on temporal things.

The infallible word of God is our road map. It will keep us on paths of righteousness. It will give us the strength when we are weak, it comforts when sad, it gives us the confidence we need to fight for truth and for a Savior who is alive and is coming back to take us to our heavenly home on high.

"Lead me O LORD in Your righteousness because of my enemies; Make Your way straight before my face." Psalm 5:8

Christ Is All

"And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He

may have the preeminence." Col. 1:18

On Sunday morning I was reading a devotional that lit torches in the crevices of my soul. Heather Olford brought home the fact that Christ is the preeminent one and the head of the church. Thus, He should be the head of our lives. Our being and very existence is for the worship and adoration of our Savior and God. We are to worship Christ with the understanding that He deserves all of our love and devotion. Those who don't comprehend this well, will ask "Why do you worship Him?" In his book, The Air I Breathe, Louie Giglio says, "You've been created by God. And if that wasn't enough, you've also been created for Him. As a result, there's an internal homing device riveted deep with your soul that perpetually longs for your Maker. An internal, God-ward magnet, pulling your being toward Him. That's why we come from the womb equipped for connectivity with God, prewired to praise."

Christ, who was sent by the Father, must reign supreme in our hearts. Having the Savior as the preeminent one in our lives will produce waterfalls of praise and adoration. In Matthew 12:34 it says, "out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks." Heather ended the devotional with this, "When Christ is Lord of all, the Holy Spirit fills our lives and we can't help but overflow in witness."

I had to take a moment and go into the recesses of my mind and examine whether or not Christ is all in my life. No thing or person should take precedence in our lives. Is Christ all in yours?

Where are Your Roots?

This past April I had the privilege of sitting under the teaching of a dear friend, Pamela Baker. God used her in a tremendous way. Over a two-day span, God opened my eyes and lead me to ponder where my roots are.

Let us imagine two trees. The first tree is a tree that bears good fruit unto life. The second tree bears fruit that rots and decays unto death. The second tree represents life in the flesh. At the root we unearth disbelief in God's sovereignty and His goodness. As a result of this we discover pride, discontentment, covetousness and idolatry. This unhealthy and ungodly nourishment goes deep and produces fruit that causes one to be unloving, fearful, ungrateful, unforgiving, bitter, impatient, lustful and merciless.

My friends, it is a dangerous and deadly journey when one does not yield to the sovereignty and goodness of God. Our life becomes a life of disobedience and legalism. Living in the flesh offers no hope at all. However, in this case we can say that the grass is greener on the other side, where there is life in the Spirit.

The first tree has roots that dig deep into God's sovereignty and goodness, which is seen through faith. It produces humility, contentment,and a desire for God, that is the pinnacle of worship. Taking of this fruit causes one to be loving, peaceful, faithful, forgiving, patient, merciful, and self-controlled.

My sisters which tree are you drawing from? Is your life a reflection of a life lived in the flesh or in the spirit? Dig deep and see if there are areas of bitterness, discontentment, pride, idolatry or unbelief.

There is a way to the tree of life. Come to the cross and trust the Lord to open your eyes to life in the Spirit.

True Beauty

As women we are often caught in the world's grip of discontent and self-indulgence. Society is constantly telling us that we should not be satisfied with who we are. With every click of the television channels, the radio stations, and the turning of pages in popular women's magazines, we find offers for books on the latest diets, articles that reveal the secrets of how to look beautiful in minutes, or how to look like the stars. Television shows like Americas Top Model says that you're beautiful if you're long and lean and can wear the latest fashions by top designers. I think the worst of all may be the cosmetic surgery that allows women to change their body image and their looks with a few months of agonizing pain and bruising.

Ladies, we are drowning in an ocean of propaganda, and some of us don't even know it. However, by the grace and mercy of God, He has given us "THE" one and only guide book to TRUE BEAUTY. In Peter's first epistle, he gives women a solid foundation to the beauty God intends for every believing woman.

Peter tells us that women are to be submissive (to their husbands), chaste, and God-fearing, not focusing on the outward adornments, but making sure that daily, we are especially concentrating on developing reverent Christ-like character, which is a beauty that is incorruptible, a beauty that is gentle and quiet. This is what God deems to be precious and invaluable in His sight. (I Peter 3:4)

So, who are we trying to please? Are we trying to keep up with the latest styles? Are we trying to be the next "Top Model"? Or are we trying to obtain a beauty that is pleasing to God and is so deep in the abyss of our souls, that it flows out through the pours of our being. Proverbs 31:30 says, "Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, but a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised."

Ladies, join with me in striving, today and everyday for a beauty that is deep and everlasting.